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Are you by chance having a celebration this summer? I know it’s already July but I am sure there are still plenty of summer weddings and other festivities left for this summer season! In fact, I have a little celebration of my own tomorrow – I graduated as a Bachelor of Education with a masters in Educational Psychology and now I am throwing a BBQ for it! I am super excited and I got way better grades than I thought I would get. The Finnish uni grades go from 1 to 5, with 5 being best and I got 4 from my major and also from all my minors (gender studies, health science & fine arts) – so I am more than pleased as I just wanted to get through it all without losing my sanity. Well, enough of rambling, I am sure you are here for something else!

As we full-busted gals attend parties, especially in the summer, we may want to wear that cute strapless dress like any gal; but that my dearies, requires a strapless bra as you know. When I was a 30FF I actually still found it quite easy to find supportive strapless bras but after I crossed the dreaded G-cup barrier, there weren’t many options anymore. When Curvy Kate came out with their Luxe strapless, I was sure to get my hands on it as it promised great support in the biggest cup sizes as well. I got my first Luxe a year ago but unfortunately picked a wrong size for vanity reasons – yes that happens to us bra bloggers as well. This is why I was so pleased when Curvy, an Australian bra retailer, offered to send me the Luxe set alongside my Tease camisole. Here’s how I liked this convenient little friend…

The Design: Let’s face it – no beige strapless bra is ever going to be particularly pretty. It’s just the simple truth and there is no way around it. I think Curvy Kate did a pretty good job with the Luxe though; it’s not hideous and even though it is pretty plain (as a basic bra should be), there are some nice touches to it like the pinstripe pattern of the bra band and the fabric-coated buttons at the centre gore. The hue is not the best for me as I am much more “pink” thank the creamy butter-y shade of the Luxe “Biscotti” shade. But who am I to complain – I am pretty sure there are no D+ strapless bras for women of colour, so I am lucky to even get close to my own skin tone with this bra! I haven’t tried it with any white shirts or dresses so I cannot say whether it would show through but it’s not the most discreet of bras anyway.

The shape of the Luxe is absolutely amazing and I love how rounded CK managed to make it. Most D+ straplesses give a kind of deflated conical look which is less than ideal, meaning CK definitely set their product apart from other full-bust offerings in the market. The cups are made with a three part cup construction with two vertical seams, which unfortunately show through a bit if you are wearing eg a thinner jersey fabric over it. However, if I could choose between this and the Freya Deco, the Luxe would win 6-0 as it gives a better shape, fits me quite well and is comfortable to wear even for several hours.

The Fit: I went for my regular Curvy Kate size 30H with the Luxe this time and it’s definitely a right choice. I tell you: DO NOT compromise on fit if you are debating whether to get the bigger size that fits better or the smaller size that fits okay but looks nicer as it gives less coverage. IT WILL NOT WORK. I can’t stress this enough: The bigger cup size made all the difference to me as the smaller cups were pushed by my boobs downwards and I ended up tucking and adjusting the 30GG multiple times a day. Not a fun job to do on a night out! The 30H fits me very well and even though the band is a bit tighter than with your usual CK bra, I like it that way as I hate having a strapless falling down my body.

When it comes to wires and cup depth, I feel the Luxe is a bit different from what I am used to from CK: the wires actually hit me at the perfect spot, right at my breast root. Even though the cups are a bit deeper too, you can see some shallowness at the bottom of them, as the cup foam is collapsing a tiny bit. I am not bothered by this though and I am happy how much there is actually space for my boobs at the top of the cups – they are really nice on an evenly full shape but also suit full-on-top breast quite well!

Comfort: I had pretty darn high expectations for this bra when it released as so many bloggers and CK itself claimed it to be a life-changing miracle-worker – so when I bought my first Luxe in 30GG, you may have guessed it, I was a bit disappointed. I am so glad that I got to try the 30H now though as it has changed my opinion on the bra entirely – it truly is one of the best strapless bras I have tried in my life. The materials are very soft and feel nice on even during the hotter months of summer. The wires reach me just at my breast root, meaning they don’t poke me in the armpit causing irritation. The band is quite wide with four hooks and eyes, so it is definitely supportive enough for my H-cup boobies. My only gripe with the bra is that there is little piece of extra boning on the band that can get a bit poke-y during the day, but I am guessing it’s there so the wider band wouldn’t flip up or roll around.

I also received the Luxe thong in size 10 with the bra and I can report that it is a very comfy option for someone looking for a regular beige thong to wear under eg white trousers. I never ever wear a thong anymore so it’s not something I will reach for often, but it is a good thing to have in your lingerie wardrobe when the occasion comes. The materials of the thong are very sleek and stretchy so the size 10 was spot on for me. The rise is pretty regular but on the lower side so if you like a more hipster style with higher rise, you may want to skip this.

If you are getting married this summer, or attending summer party in a strapless dress, I would very much recommend the Luxe to any D+ bride / guest out there. The size range of the bra is a whopping 28-38 D-J which is incredible in my opinion! If you would like to get your very own Luxe, it retails for 94,99 AUD at Curvy and comes in both Black and Biscotti. You also have a chance of winning a set of your choice from Curvy, so take a look at the giveaway instructions here. Have you tried the Luxe yet? Which strapless bra do you like the best? Let me know in the comments! xx

There are certain styles in the full-bust bra market that will always hold their place in my heart and one of them is the infamous Curvy Kate “Tease” ie the former Showgirl range style Tease Me. Tease Me in cherry/blush was my first extremely well-fitting bra and it made me feel fabulous as well – I had never felt so sexy as I felt in that set. All the ruffles and the delicious colour combo that was actually recently brought back by Curvy Kate, last season to be exact. With the Tease bra set, they also launched the Tease Cami which is lovely ruffly version of the classic romantic balconette style bra. Today I am teaming up with the folks of Curvy, an Australian D+ online retailer, who offered me to try the new Tease Cami in Berry/Black and have also promised to gift two of my lovely readers a set of their choice from the Curvy store selection. Here’s how I liked my old, renewed favourite!

Design: As always, the Tease design is absolutely beautiful and I love all the beautiful ruffles, embroidery and jewel-tone colour combos it comes in. The new cami version is cut open at the front in a way some Disney princesses have their skirts (hehe) and the edge of the hem is adorned with a flowy ruffle. I would perhaps prefer this style in a longer babydoll cut but I do like this one as well. Also the hem part could be a be a bit more voluminous to create more creases and thus be more covering. The colour combo of the new season Tease is quite dark for a summer season but it is created for “bedroom purposes”, so it fits the bill.

The style of the cups is a true padded balconette which is constructed of three pieces and two vertical seams. I have always liked this cup construction and it gives me the perfect Marie Antoinette sort of cleavage. The former Tease bras have been very open at the top making them perfect for FOT breasts but I can see a slight change in the pattern with this particular colourway – it’s a bit more closed at top, meaning it will suit more full-on-bottom shaped breasts now (with me, it seems to create a slight quadboob on my bigger breast).

Fit: I opted for size 30H with the Tease Cami as it is my regular Curvy Kate size – however, I do still have a ss14 Tease in my bradrobe which still fits me at 30GG. I have to report a few differences with these two products, so you can make the right choice with the Cami, if you are thinking of buying one! First of all, the band of the Cami is significantly smaller than the regular CK bands I have tried in the past. Even the Scantilly Peek-a-Boo which is a newer model from the CK sister range fits like all of my previous CK bras – so this is not something they have changed with all of their bras, I think it’s more of a one-off style that happens to run smaller ie more true-to-size in the band. Curvy Kate has been infamous for making quite stretchy bands so far, so all of you petite girls go and buy this beauty right now if you are a CK fan!

The cups are also quite a bit smaller than with most of my CK bras – which I own a plenty! Most of my Curvy Kate bras fit me perfectly in either 30GG or 30H, I would even go and say they are quite generous in cups these days. However, this time the cups proved to be quite small! I would even say they run a full cup size small, so definitely size up with these. If I had tried these in store, I would have loved to have tried a 30HH or a 32H, as I prefer my bands comfortable when lounging (as let’s be honest, this is not a bra for everyday wear at work). Also, as said above, the cups are quite a bit closed at top and the centre of cups is rather shallow, so people with less fullness on top and the centre might enjoy this style more than my boobs. The wires of the Tease are actually pretty decent on me and don’t reach far in my armpit like most of my non-padded CK bras.

Comfort: I believe I have said before here on 2COP that CK Tease has always been my go-to bra for comfort – its soft padding and stretchy band make it easy to wear even around house or being a bit more active than usual. As the Tease Cami provides a firmer bra band than usual, it’s not as comfortable as my Tease bra but still feels good on to wear for lounging purposes. I like this style more than the classic Ritzy babydoll as its wires sit on a better spot for me personally and thus they don’t poke me in the armpits.

What I really like about Curvy Kate is that they make their boudoir style pieces with the same comfort level as their regular everyday bras – who says you can’t be comfy when lounging around or getting frisky in the bedroom?! I refuse to compromise with my comfort level no matter the scenario, so I appreciate CK’s dedication to make all of their sets both beautiful and extremely comfortable.

If you would like to try the Curvy Kate Tease Cami (up to J-cup!) for yourself, the Curvy online store has it on sale for 72 AUD which is a great price. I also really appreciate Australian full-bust shops as they are working in an incredibly demanding field in their country – so show Curvy some love, will you! Curvy would also like to show their love to you and gift two lingerie sets for a raffle! Here comes the important rule: there is one raffle for international readers ie all of you and another for my Australian 2COP readers.

The raffle is open from now on to 15th of July 0:00 GMT and the prize is subject to availability. If you win, you can choose any two piece lingerie set you wish, excluding Primadonna and Scantilly sets. Please complete the tasks in the Rafflecopter widget to gain as many entries as you can! There will be two mandatory entries: commenting on this blog post by answering a question stated in the widget (which set would you choose from Curvy’s selection?) and also by subscribing to Two Cakes on a Plate. Other entries are optional but will increase your chance to win! The winners will be contacted by me soon after the raffle and if the winner(s) fail to reply to my email after a week’s time, another winner will be drawn. Good luck everyone – get entering 😉

Even though summer is almost over here in Finland and no heat-waves have reached us at all, it is still nice to get yourself a new bikini and/or a swimsuit to celebrate even the mildly warmer weathers. I am not much of a swimmer but when Gossard came out with another outstanding swim piece for this AW15 season, I could not help but fall in love and pursue the lovely Blossom bikini set for myself. Luckily, my and Gossard’s thoughts collided and they were super kind to send me a set in 32G + UK size 10 short bottoms, so here’s a small review before our beach weathers are over!

The Design: I have to say this style appealed to me the first time I saw it at Moda six months ago and still, it is one of the most beautiful prints I have seen in the swimwear scene in my whole life. Blue hues are a huge trend for next autumn/winter season which is why the colour seems very appropriate as well – however it is a lovely lighter vibrant shade which also suits summer very well. I am a fan of blue myself as it suits so many skin tones and looks usually much better than black yet still being classic enough to suit most tastes.

The Blossom style comes in two different top and bottom styles, from which I opted the bandeau plunge(£46)and the frilly shorts(£16). However, if you would like something a bit more revealing and a little less heavy-lifting appropriate bikini top, you can always try the same set with the triangle top and the brazilian bottoms. I like my bikinis a bit more covering (aka comfy) and both the bandeau top and the short bottom suited my tastes well. The top is very similar to the construction of my Sienna swimsuit (click for the review!) with the plunging neckline and push-up pads. The extra oomph is certainly guaranteed with this style!

The Fit: As Gossard seems to be very consistent with their sizing, I decided to go for my regular 32G and size 10 bottoms (US size 6). This was definitely the right choice even though as with other Gossard swimwear I have tried, the band of the bikini top was a bit tighter than I am used to. Again, it is much easier to put the top on while wet as the materials get stretchier! However, if you are just looking for a cute bikini to sunbath in, I would suggest going up a size from your regular Gossard band size (the 32 band stretches up to roughly 30-30,5″). Also the band is pretty narrow which is something I would revise a bit when it comes to the top – the security is still there but the narrow band seems to create a few extra bulges on my back which is not something I fear immensely but feel a bit “meh” about.

The cups of the bikini run true to size for Gossard (one cup size bigger than with other British brands) even with the push-up padding which usually leads into overall smaller cups. My boobs fit in the cups well but the structure of the cups seems to be more suited for a full-on-bottom shape as the bikini top gives me “two cakes on a plate”-cleavage in addition to the regular one. I don’t mind this at all, but for some FOT gals this might be too much.

The bikini bottoms are just the right size for me so I would go for the same size as with your regular Gossard knickers. Gossard bottoms usually run a bit large-ish so if you are between sizes, I would recommend sizing down. The shorts cover my butt really well and look flattering on, even though shorts are sometimes not the best look on me. What would actually be a great addition to the bikini set would be a choice of high-waisted ruffle bottoms – at least I would buy them in a heart beat!

Comfort: Even though I was a bit hesitant about the comfort aspect of the bikini top (I had some uncomfortable chafing with Sienna), the top is actually fantastic when swimming and stays on comfortably like a dream. I took this baby to a test-run in a nearby public swimming pool and it stayed on really well while doing laps. Swimwear is after all all about the practicality and this bikini set definitely ticks the box. Also, this time there was no chafing whatsoever and I could comfortably swim for a good half-an-hour (could have done it for much longer as well but I’m a lazy swimmer, haha). The halter bikini straps are removable, which is why it is super important for the top to be sturdy if you fancy a strapless look to your bikini. Also the bottoms stayed on well while swimming, which is why this bikini set is a sure winner for all full-busted and even smaller busted ladies out there.

The bandeau plunge comes in sizes 30-38 A-G and the bottoms XS-XL. If you wanna snatch this beauty up at a discount, you can get 20% off with the code PAYDAY20 – how awesome is that? The code applies site-wide and ends 12th of Aug, midnight in GMT.

Have you had a chance to wear a bikini or a swimsuit this summer? Which one has been your favourite so far? Let me know in the comments so I can check your fave picks out! 😉

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